One of the game’s greatest Quarterbacks, Len Dawson, passed away today at the age of 87 while in hospice care.

A college star at Purdue, Dawson was a First Round Draft Pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1957 but the former Boilermaker accomplished nothing there as he would in Cleveland shortly thereafter.  It looked like Dawson become a bust but after being released by the Browns he would sign with the Dallas Texans and it was a match made in football heaven.

Dawson would lead the American Football League in Touchdown Passes in his first season there while more importantly taking the team to a league championship win (1962).  Dawson and the team would move north to Kansas City where they would become the Chiefs but while the team’s geography would change, Dawson’s efficiency would not. 

Dawson’s AFL league leading Passer Rating of 1962 would be duplicated in every season from 1964 to 1968 as well as posting four seasons where he led the league in Touchdown Passes.  Dawson would take the Chiefs to the first Super Bowl where although they lost, Dawson impressed many in defeat.  He would later take the Chiefs to a win in Super Bowl IV (where he was named the Super Bowl MVP), which was the only one in franchise history.

Overall as a Chief, he threw for 28,507 Yards and 237 Touchdown Passes numbers which are incredible for his time period.

Dawson would enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987, and was inducted into the Chiefs Hall of Fame the same year.  His no. 16 has also been retired by the team.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the fans, friends and family of Len Dawson.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced today that Don Coryell has advanced as the 2023 Coach/Contributor Finalist.

Coryell is one of the most innovative minds in the history of Pro Football, having developed the Air Coryell” offense which is the prototype for today’s modern offense.  A Finalist six times before, Coryell’s creativity has never been in question, but it did not yield a Title, which is likely the reason that he has not been enshrined yet, but that day seems to be coming.  While this is not a lock for Coryell to get in, patterns indicate that this is his time.

The other Finalists who Coryell beat out were:

Roone Arledge:  Arledge was a powerful television industry executive and producer whose creativity, leadership and technical innovations revolutionized the presentation of both news and sports.  He was the brainchild behind Monday Night Football, and has never been a Finalist.

Mike Holmgren: The Head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1992-98 and the Seattle Seahawks from 1999-2008, Holmgren was a Finalist in 2020.

Frank “Bucko” Kilroy:  Kilroy worked in player personnel and scouting for the Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys. He was the Patriots’ general manager from 1979 to 1982 and vice president from 1983 to 1993.  An outstanding player in his own right, Kilroy has a Finalist in 2020.

Robert Kraft: Kraft is the current Owner, Chairman and CEO of the New England Patriots since 1994. His teams have won six Super Bowls.  Kraft has never been a Finalist.

Art Modell:  Modell was the Owner of the Cleveland Browns from 1961-1995 and Baltimore Ravens from 1996-2011.  He has been a Finalist twice.

Buddy Parker: Parker was the Head Coach of the Chicago Cardinals (1949), Detroit Lions (1951-56) and the Pittsburgh Steelers (1957-1964), and a Finalist in 2020.

Dan Reeves:  Reeves was the Head Coach of the Denver Broncos (1981-1992), New York Giants (1993-96) and the Atlanta Falcons (1997-2003), and was a Finalist in 2020.

Art Rooney Jr.:  Employed with the Steelers since 1961, from 1964 through 1986, worked in the Steelers’ Scouting Department, Rooney is currently a Steelers Vice President and member of the Board of Directors.  He has never been a Finalist.

Mike Shanahan:  Shanahan was the Head coach of the Los Angeles Raiders (1988-89), Denver Broncos (1995-2008) and the Washington Redskins (2010-13).  He has never been a Finalist.

Clark Shaughnessy:  The former Head coach of the Los Angeles Rams from 1948-49 and longtime assistant coach for the Washington Redskins from 1944-47 and Chicago Bears from 1951-1962.  He was a three-time Finalist.

John Wooten:  A former nine-year Guard, Wooten was one of the first African-American executives in the NFL, working for the Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens.

We here at Notinhalloffame would like to congratulate the late Don Coryell, for making it to this stage.

Duane Brown began his pro career in 2008 with the Houston Texans where he is arguably in the top group of Offensive Linemen in franchise history.  The former First Round Pick went to three Pro Bowls in Houston, but in the search for a better contact, he sat out the first six weeks of the 2017 Season.  After one Game that year, he was traded to the Seahawks, where he proved again why he was one of the best Left Tackles in the game.

Playing only nine Games with Seattle that year, Brown went to his fourth Pro Bowl.  Although he was not one of the chosen ones in 2018, he arguably his best season as a Seahawk in 2018, with a 13 in Approximate Value with a Second Team All-Pro nod.  Brown performed well in 2019 and 2021, Pro Bowl number five fell his way in 2021.

Following the 2021 Season, Brown signed with the New York Jets, ending his Seattle career with 70 Games, all as a starter.

Dak Prescott impressed pro scouts at Mississippi State, and he was viewed as a project for the Cowboys when they took him in the Fourth Round in 2016.  A pre-season injury to incumbent Quarterback, Tony Romo, vaulted Prescott to a rookie starter, and he responded with one of the best initial campaigns of any Dallas signal caller.

Prescott was outstanding in his first season, winning the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year, leading Dallas to a 13-3 Season with a 23-4 TD-INT Ratio.  It can be argued that this has been to date Prescott’s most efficient season, as he has yet to top his personal best in Passer Rating (104.9) and QBR (77.6), but Prescott has still been productive.  To date, Prescott has had two years where he threw for more than 4,000 Yards and 30 Touchdowns, and has been a Pro Bowl twice.

Still a Cowboy as of this writing, Prescott is entering his eighth season, and currently has nearly 25,000 Passing Yards with 166 Touchdowns.  If he reaches his rookie levels and takes Dallas to a Super Bowl, Prescott could be an all-time top 15 Cowboy.